Correction: An earlier version of this article listed Bluewater Health as among the hospital networks with new masking policies in place starting this week. Its masking policy was changed April 3.
Hospitals in London are the latest in Ontario to announce relaxed rules around wearing masks inside their buildings.
On Thursday, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care London jointly announced new masking policies starting Monday, April 24, with the major difference being that masks will no longer be required for patients and visitors in common areas like hallways, cafeterias, elevators and lobbies.
Both hospital networks will require patients with a fever or respiratory symptoms to mask, unless in an inpatient room or bed space, and masks will still be available for anyone who prefers to wear one.
LHSC is also recommending people “wear a mask in care settings when meeting or speaking directly with staff or physicians” while St. Joseph’s is recommending that people “wear a mask when in our clinical areas and in direct contact with health care workers, other patients and in waiting rooms.”
Physicians and staff at LHSC will be required to wear masks in any setting where direct patient care is being provided. At St. Joseph’s, physicians and staff will be required to wear masks in all clinical areas including in the hallways in clinical areas, though they may remove masks in main corridors.
“It’s clear the COVID-19 pandemic has entered a new phase and it’s time for a new approach to masking,” said LHSC’s medical director of infection prevention and control, Dr. Michael Payne.
St. Joseph’s chief of infectious diseases and medical director Dr. Michael Silverman added that the changes recognize “changes in the nature of the pandemic and direction from public health experts.”
The hospital networks say the new masking policies align with guidelines released by Public Health Ontario.
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, Bluewater Health, Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH), Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and Erie Shores HealthCare previously announced that they would begin relaxing masking rules. Hospitals in Kitchener as well as Guelph General Hospital joined them in announcing new rules on Monday.
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